Hurry: Is That A Forklift Or Squeaky Toy? Say Something?

In life, there are certain matters that seem to resolve themselves if we simply ignore them or refrain from taking action. This phenomenon can be observed across various aspects of our existence, including our emotional states, potential opportunities that come our way, the state of our physical well-being, and even minor physical ailments. For instance, consider the natural healing process of a boo boo on your knee - given time and not picking at the scab it’ll go away on its own.

The list of things we shouldn’t ignore is pretty easy to figure out. It covers lots of important parts of life. One big one is our relationships with other people, which keep us happy and connected. Another is our money, which helps us feel safe when life gets tough. We also can’t forget about taking care of our bodies and minds, since both are key to living well and reaching our goals. These things matter a lot for our happiness and success, so they need our focus and care more.

When we think about things closer to home, letting problems slide with material handling equipment can be really risky and careless. If you ignore signs like strange noises, weird smells, bumps in the surface, or leaks, it usually leads to big disruptions and a lot of extra costs. These problems, if not fixed early, grow fast, turning small issues into huge ones that need major repairs.

In my experience, I’ve seen lots of times when expensive fixes could have been avoided if the operators had spoken up sooner. It’s pretty common that workers, afraid of losing their machines for a short time, end up causing even bigger damage by using broken equipment. Their fear of downtime ends up backfiring, and they face even longer delays because the problem got worse.

The funny thing is, by avoiding short breaks, they cause even bigger ones. This happens a lot in the industry. The fear of losing equipment for a bit often leads to losing it for much longer. This shows why staying on top of repairs matters and why workers should be encouraged to report any issues right away, no matter how small.

Here's another crucial thing you shouldn't ignore: your operators and their pre-shift inspections. Too often, we hear from operators that they stopped reporting issues because no one acted on their reports, so they simply gave up.

Then remember you too have a part to play here. Sure you’re not a mechanic and don’t want to say or do something that makes that apparent, get over yourself and have others look into it with you. That’s what a key player would do.

Can you hear it? Should it be reported?

We would enjoy hearing from you; let’s start a dialog!

For more information, insights, or conversations regarding your forklift or material handling needs. You can visit our online contact form, call us at 763-425-9066, or email [email protected]. We are also on Twitter, @ToyotaEquipment or @KyleThill on X or Twitter.

We would welcome the opportunity to address your material handling questions or concerns. Toyota Lift of Minnesota works extremely hard to be your partner and material handling consultant. Remember this: "you have a guy" in the forklift and material handling businesses.

Are you located outside of Minnesota or Wisconsin? Find your local authorized Toyota Forklift Dealer through their dealer locator.

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Kyle Thill - Hurry: Is That A Forklift Or Squeaky Toy? Say Something?